Italian
Donald Trump raises the stakes in the international trade conflict by announcing a new round of tariffs that will affect more than 80 countries, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, China, India, and Australia. This measure replaces the global 10% tariff introduced in previous months, which expired overnight between Thursday and Friday, opening a new chapter in the White House’s protectionist policy.
USA. The decision comes after the U.S. Supreme Court limited the use of previous tools employed by the Trump administration to impose blanket tariffs, ruling that the president did not have such broad power without Congressional intervention. To circumvent the legal obstacle, the White House has now chosen to invoke the Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, a provision that allows for the adoption of trade measures against countries accused of unfair practices, in this case related to the failure to combat forced labor in supply chains.
Duties from 10 to 12.5%
The new rates will range between 10% and 12.5%, depending on the country involved. According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), the measure aims to encourage trading partners to adopt stricter controls against the importation of goods produced with forced labor.
Commercial representative Jamieson Greer argued that the United States has been enforcing strict regulations for decades and that it is time for other countries to adopt similar standards.
The reaction of Europe
The announcement has sparked immediate reactions in major Western capitals. The European Union expressed surprise at the decision, emphasizing that it has upheld the commitments made in the transatlantic trade agreement reached with Washington last year.
The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, stated that Brussels will seek clarification from the American administration, suggesting that the European Commission will consider possible countermeasures if no convincing reasons emerge.
Canada, Australia, and Brazil have also contested the measure, calling it unjustified. Ottawa has pointed out that it is already among the most active countries in combating the importation of products made with forced labor, arguing that such action should be addressed through multilateral organizations rather than unilateral initiatives.
New tensions on the legal front
The decision could open a new judicial front. Numerous commercial law experts believe that the president is once again extending his tariff powers beyond constitutional limits.
According to several analysts, the American Constitution indeed grants Congress the power to impose tariffs on imports. For this reason, it is not ruled out that the new measures could be challenged in federal courts and, subsequently, return for review by the Supreme Court.
A Central Strategy for Trump
Since his first term, Donald Trump has made tariffs one of the main tools of his economic policy. The president argues that tariffs protect American industry, encourage the return of production to the United States, and reduce the trade deficit with major economic partners.
A line that continues to represent one of the pillars of his agenda, despite the growing internal and external protests.
The impact on the American economy
Several surveys show that a large portion of Americans believe that tariff policies have contributed to the rise in consumer prices, exacerbated by the increase in energy costs following tensions in the Middle East.
The Trump administration rejects these accusations and instead argues that the U.S. economy continues to show signs of strength, pointing to the slowdown in core inflation as evidence of the effectiveness of its economic policies.
With the midterm elections just around the corner, the new trade offensive risks becoming a central theme in the domestic political debate, while uncertainty grows in international markets over the possible repercussions on global trade and economic relations between Washington and its key allies.
